Honestly its homophobic how being anxious literally makes me ill. My brain and body feel like a current are going through them and on top of it i have to have a tummyache and luking? Unacceptable.

My experiences with COVID thus far because … misery loves company

:readmore:

Friday: I came back from a training course. It was fun but well, obviously I came back with an unwanted souvenir. Felt a little feverish and off but thought nothing of it since I like barely got any sleep thursday.

Saturday morning: woke up with a scratchy throat and congestion. Was sus but the rapid test I took returned as negative. Decided to go to CVS that afternoon and get a new set of tests - just in case.

Saturday afternoon: yeah that positive line showed up bright pink within a minute. I had a very real “oh shit” moment. Was informed of a few other people who were testing positive from that course.

Saturday night: sleeping with congestion sucks.

Sunday: scratchy throat, congestion, mild fever of 99, and I started having the hallmark dry, deep chest cough of COVID. Learned anecdotal evidence that nasal/sinus congestion more common in people who are vaxxed … lucky me.

Sunday night: pain. Can’t breathe because of congestion, coughing frequently but still a dry cough. Can’t sleep for more than a few hours. I am living on my couch now because lying in my bed is no bueno.

Monday: I consider congestion to be cruel and unusual punishment. Cough worsened. Worked a little bit in the morning (telework … I’m not allowed anywhere near my office for like at least 10 days). Took sick leave the rest of the day because holy shit I was going down hill. Notified my doctor about my current condition. She writes back like two hours later that she’s prescribing Paxlovid among other things. Fever back down to 99.

Monday night: I’m becoming convinced that sleep is a myth. Fever spiked again to 100.

Today: oh my god someone please attach a vacuum to my nose and suck out all the snot. I barely have left the couch all day. I feel like shit. Cough is becoming productive at least which makes me feel like I’m hopefully expelling the virus from my lungs? Because that’s how that works, obviously. Pulse ox still sitting at 97-98%. Started on Paxlovid and I’m one of the lucky few who get to experience a bitter taste in my mouth as one of the side effects. Cinnamon candy has proven effective in combating this.

Hoping this Paxlovid regimen will help me, I switched over to taking DayQuil and NyQuil as well to hopefully manage my sinus symptoms.

Trying very hard not to overdose on anything.

Camino De Santiago - Round 5

Spain travel log, 2021…

Day One:

September 20 - Depart Seattle for Madrid, by way of London. There were plenty of issues just getting to this point. In addition to the ongoing concerns over COVID-19, or perhaps because of them, I had some serious concerns about whether I could and whether I should do this trip at all. In the end, I think I simply realized that it was totally appropriate for me to go on this trip: I’ve been “responsible” and taken the full round of vaccinations, generally avoided social contacts with people and been diligent about the masks. So I made my reservations and thought everything was fine. About 2 weeks before takeoff, I got an email from Iberia that one of my flights had been changed. When I looked into it, I found that it was the connecting flight from London to Madrid and the schedule had been bumped up by about 6 hours taking me from having a 2 hour layover in Heathrow to needing to be on a plane for Madrid 4 hours before I actually landed in London and would be able to board it… It took attempts at phone calls over several days to get this corrected. Finally, I tried while I was at top work one morning around 5:00 am. I finally got through and a nice lady helped rebook my connecting flight. She found the only available flight on that day that would work; now I have a seven hour layover.

I prepped for my trip, checklists and routes planned. I arrived at the airport 3 hours early, just in case. Although I booked with Iberia, it was a British flight. So standing in line at the BA counter in SeaTac, I saw the sign: “All passengers must show proof of a negative COVID test.” What? I’d already checked multiple times; I only need proof of vaccination to get into Spain. I check the internet. Sure enough, if you’re on a layover in England, you need a negative test…A quick Google search helped me find a testing center at SeaTac airport, so I rushed down to baggage claim number nine to see if I could get a test in time. In all honesty, I really thought I wasn’t going to make it and I’d have to try to contact the airline again to find a way to reschedule my flight. I stood in the line for what seemed like forever, but finally had the privilege of paying $250 for a rapid COVID test. T- minus 2 hours 30 minutes to departure and they promised results in 1-1.5 hours. The test itself was relatively painless. After all of the horror stories I’d heard about the nasal swabs, I was a bit worried. But it didn’t hurt, it just tickled a little bit. I waited, and waited…it seemed like they would never have my results. While I waited, I heard stories from other travelers who had missed flights or rebooking because of these ridiculous COVID-related requirements. One young Canadian lady I spoke to shared that she’d spent over $1000 on COVID tests in the last month due to traveling. I guess my $250 wasn’t so much.

I finally got my negative test results and rushed back to the check in counter, filled out the required government forms and headed through security. The flight was delayed.

After a nine hour flight to London, I had seven or eight hours to kill in Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5, before boarding my flight to Madrid. I shopped, I ate, I listened to podcasts. I took a few naps and generally cursed British Airways for changing my original flight. Some Italian guy made quite a scene at the boarding gate for the flight to Madrid. The gate agent handled it quite well and passive-aggressively punished him for his demeanor.

I arrived in Madrid after an easy flight on Iberia, made my way to the metro and on to my Hostel. It was a nice enough place. After 28 hours of travel, I was ready for a shower and bed.

Day 2:

On my one day in Madrid, I walked from my hostel/hotel to the Museo Nacional del Prado. It’s Spain’s greatest art museum. This was my second time there and I spent a lot more of it. There are so many amazing pieces and, for someone who used to truly despise art, it was amazing. I highly recommend it. I haven’t been to a whole lot of art museums, but it is, by far, my favorite. I followed that with a walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens. I’m sure they’re great when all of the flowers are blooming, but in early fall, it’s just a lot of green. Either way, it was still peaceful. I visited another nearby park, walked around and viewed the statues, and then made my way back towards the hotel and passed it to go to the Cathedral opposite the royal palace. It’s a much more modern cathedral than the ones I’ll see on the Camino, but still impressive.

Day 3:

On the morning of the third day, I got up early and got packed. Took the metro to the train station and purchased a ticket to Leon. After two hours on the train, I took a 20 minute walk to the hotel and dropped off my bag, and then spent the next few hours wandering the city. I found a barber and got a haircut for 9 Euro, quite a bargain. Stopped at the “Taste of America” shop to get a bottle of hot sauce (Cholula, of course), and just meandered around the city until I could get checked in at the hotel. It was a pretty uneventful day, which is just what I needed. I was still very tired from all of the traveling and trying to swap schedules.

Day 4:

I got up late, around 8:00 AM and started walking the city. I stopped for a cafe con leche and met a Scottish couple who had been walking the Camino for the last few weeks. While we waited out the rain under cover, the shared with me some of their other walking adventures, including tales of walking through the Swiss Alps on the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage route to Rome. I may have to look into that for a future trip. I also shared with them my plans/considerations of taking a walk on the “Great Glen Way” in Scotland. The wife had already done this and highly recommended it, along with the West Highland Way. Both are approximately 5-day walks through some of the wild country of Scotland. When the rain let up, we parted ways and I went to tour the Cathedral, toured the Basilica of Saint Isidore and wandered around town, shopping and eating. Inside the Saint Isidore museum and basilica, i had the opportunity to see what is referred to as the “Sistine Chapel of Romanesque Art” as well as a gold and silver cup that some historians claim is the “holy grail.”

Day 5:

Didn’t sleep much…I forgot how much they like to party in Spain. It was LOUD all night long. Anyway, started my walk. Today was about 27 km and it rained through about 50% of the day. It was a mix of roads and dirt tracks. I only saw one other pilgrim, a Spaniard who doesn’t speak any English. I got ahead of him and had stopped for a rest at a picnics table on top of a mountain. He showed up a few minutes behind me and I tried to chat for a minute, but the language barrier…. I offered him half of my tangerine and then he took off again. I passed him up later. I had been slightly worried about where to stay for the night as the municipal albergue in this province/state are currently closed due to the ‘Rona, but when I got to town I found a pension with rooms available. The lovely lady named Susana showed me to a room and also worked tirelessly to make me a reservation for the following night. I hadn’t eaten much for the day, so I ordered big: hot dog and patatas oil bravas. Patatas bravas is a traditional dish in Spain which is made of fried potatoe cubes that are covered in a (typically) spicy tomato sauce. Potatoes Ali Oli are the same fried potatoes but with a garlic cream sauce instead of the spicy sauce. This one combined both sauces. It was nice. The inside of the restaurant/bar/cafe was very loud with a bunch of men playing a card game I’m not familiar with, so I went outside to have a beer. An older Spaniard, named Hilario, came out and started trying to talk to me. I explained that I am American and I don’t speak much Spanish, but he disagreed. So he went inside and got another man, a Hungarian who had been in Spain for the last 25 years, named Fernanco(?) who was extremely drunk, to come out and talk to me. He was so drunk, he introduced himself as “muy borracho” or “very drunk” and the proceeded to tell me that he used to be a muy Thai fighter and a coal miner and now he was just a fat drunk who collected money from the government because he got hit in the head too many times. At least I THINK that’s what they were saying…. I went to bed early to get a good rest and let my aching feet and hips recover before a long day tomorrow….from La Robla to Poladura, should be about 25km or so with some very intense climbs. We’ll see.

I’m currently on the Camino San Salvador, which is a route from Leon to Oviedo. They say “whoever goes to Santiago without visiting Oviedo, goes to the servant but not to the Lord.” This is because Oviedo is famous for having a specific relic. While most people are aware of the Shroud of Turin, which is the burial cloth of Jesus, many don’t know (including me, until recently) that traditional Jewish burial included placing a cloth over the face of the deceased immediately after death and until the body was prepared for burial. This cloth would then be removed and the full-body cloth would be applied. So anyway, this Cathedral boasts possession of the face covering that was placed over Jesus’ head, likely immediately after the spear pearled his side and before he was brought down off of the cross. Once I complete the Camino San Salvador (about 5 days, I hope), I will continue on to the Camino Primitivo, one of the many Camino’s de Santiago. So the Camino San Salvador goes to the relics of Christ and the Camino Santiago (Santiago = Saint James) goes to the resting place and remains of Saint James (the major), also known as “Santiago Matamoros” or “Saint James the Moor Slayer”, the patron saint of Spain.

[TH] The Shards of Our Souls

Note from publisher: Yes, I am fully aware of the similarities between my story and AMC's "The Walking Dead". I can assure you that my story is a story and a work of its own, and while I was inspired by The Walking Dead to write this story, it has no relation to the show or its content, whatsoever. Yes, this story is long, but if you enjoy reading (even if you don't), I am certain you will find yourself hooked to it. I hope you enjoy!

Extra: I wasn't able to fit the entire story in one post, so I will have two separate posts for this story.

​

The year was 2003, disease rates had dramatically increased, causing a wide range of death in people across the country. Many angry yet worried citizens started rioting against governments, to force action into more research in medicine and cure. This had gone on for several months until the government finally stepped up and pushed doctors and scientists to work nonstop until they could find anything that would slow the disease rates down. It took almost a year until researches finally found a scarce and unusual element, that kills every infectious pathogen at a rapid pace. It was tested on sick animals and other organisms and had proved its effectiveness. Unfortunately, the medicine only tested positive on blood types AB, B, and O, and tested negative on blood types A. But without delay, the medication was approved and distributed to every sick patient with the correct blood type. In fact, this medicine was so effective, it was distributed worldwide to as many ill patients as possible. Everyone had been cured within a day after the medication was taken. It was the most significant achievement in medical history. But, unfortunately, the researches were never able to identify that after a period of time, the medicine not only kills pathogens, it completely mutilates the human body on the inside; except for the brain. What came after, would change the world forever.

November 26th, 2004. One week before the outbreak. Brett Brax is a current police officer, who lives in Orlando, Florida, with his nine-year-old son Jett Brax. “What a great week it has been, don't you think, Dad?” Jett asked. “It has been, indeed. I still can’t comprehend how quickly everyone was healed. But I am mainly just glad that neither of us became sick.” “If we were sick, we would have no way of being cured since we both have blood type A.” Jett added. “That is why I am so relieved.” His dad replied. “Maybe now, this world can live in peace, without the worry of disease.” “That's a whole unit of science that can be removed from the books! That means less homework!” Jett said, happily. Brett chuckled. “Maybe so, but don't forget about that math of yours, buddy.” Jett rolled his eyes with a smile. “Goodnight, Jett.” “Goodnight, Dad, I’m looking forward to a better world.” “Me, too, bud, me, too.” Brett kissed his son goodnight, turned out the lights, and closed the door.

December 2nd, 2004. One day before the outbreak. Brett was up quick when he heard the horrible truth. A broadcast announced that every cured patient who took the medicine had died, mutilated on the inside. The vast population of the world had significantly dropped by almost sixty-five percent. The remainder of people on Earth only had blood types A, while everyone else was dead, never to return. Every convenient operation to the public was shut down and was said to not re-open. “Holy hell.” Brett whispered to himself. “Dad, this can’t be true.” Brett looked at his son's disheartened face. “I just got off the phone with Logan. Our friends are dead, Dad, they’re all dead!” Jett said in tears. Brett was speechless. He didn't know what to say to his son. There were no words. Brett pushed it away and thought to himself for a minute. “Jett, I need to go to the police station.” “No, Dad, please, I want to stay with you.” “Jett, stay here, I will be back, I need to see if anybody is there.” “I’ll… I’ll go with you.” Jett desperately replied. “No, I need to go alone.” Jett gave in. “Okay, but please hurry back, Dad. You know I hate being alone.” Brett laid a hand on his son's shoulder. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” Brett started his car and drove down the deserted streets. As he arrived at the station, Brett noticed that the front door was barricaded. A note on the front door read: “How can we be a help anymore? Over half of the world is dead. What else could possibly go wrong?” Brett knew that most of his fellow police officers had gotten sick. He called one of the officers, who is also his brother, Charlie, to discuss the whole thing. “Charlie, you there, brother?” “Yeah, I’m here. What a damn mess this is. Where are you?” “I’m at the station. What’s the reason for barricading?” Charlie sighed. “After all of this happened, people began going crazy. So many families have been lost, Brett, leaving, whoever's left, alone and hopeless. They started demanding for something to be done about the people who created the medicine, like arresting them or some other kind of punishment. But is there a point to that? I don’t see what we can do about it. Imprison the people that tried to help stop the disease? Take away the few people that are left on this Earth? It just seems so unreasonable.” “Yeah, I hear you.” Brett replied. “So, what now?” “I mean, at this point, I know it’s a terrible thing to say, but we’ve just gotta move on, I mean, what else can we do? Life will continue to move forward. The clock will continue ticking.” Charlie replied. “I guess you’re right, I don’t see any other way around it, this is just our life, now.” “Yeah, unfortunately, it is.” They paused, both trying to, somehow, comprehend their conversation. “How’s Jett?” Charlie asked, to break the silence. “Not well, man. Poor kids’ lost his friends. I’m really all he has, right now. I don’t know how to explain this to him, I mean, he is only nine years old, how can he possibly process any of this?” “Yeah, look, man, this is definitely going be hard on him for a while, so you’re going to need to be there for him as much as possible. But, you know, the way he hits those target papers on weapon training, I can see he is a tough and strong kid. He’ll pull through on this, I know it.” Charlie concluded. “You’re right, he is a strong kid, and he will get through this. And I will always be there for him.” I know you will, Brett, you’re a great father.” I’ll see you soon, man.” Brett hung up with a sharp pain of sorrow in his chest. On his way home, Brett could see the faces of what used to be his happy neighbors, as they lay weeping and crying over their lost loved ones. Brett’s heart sank as he witnessed this. What a terrible time this had been for everyone. Brett returned home, still in shock of everything that happened since he opened his eyes in the morning. After putting his distressed boy to bed, he went to bed himself, his mind racing. Can this be a dream? Brett thought to himself. A nightmare? Is it real? Brett then felt a single tear rolling down his face just as he drifted off into a new world.

December 3rd, 2004. The day of the outbreak. The sound of the national emergency alarm frightened Brett off of his bed and onto his feet. Then, there was an automatic voice system, which had been reporting through all devices. “This is a national emergency. Multiple reports have indicated countless amounts of reanimation of the dead. These reports included dangerous actions and aggressive behavior that has been taken by the reanimated corpses of the recent death tragedy that happened on December 2nd, 2004. These actions are said to be murderous against humans. At this time, all military personnel has been requested to take a course of action on this case. All citizens of the world are required to stay inside their homes and are advised to barricade all entrances to their home’s. Keep radios on for further instruction after this case has been resolved. Conserve food and water supply, as the time to resolve this case, is unknown. All cities and districts have been qualified for military use and weapon fire. Do not go outside for any reason. Do not allow any human-like figure to enter your home…” Brett did not listen to the rest. He did not need to, to understand that they were in danger. The alarm continued to sound. “Dad, what’s going on?” “Jett, go back to your room and shut the door. Do not ask questions, just do as your told.” Jett nodded and did as he was told. Brett immediately went around and locked every entrance to his house and gathered enough wood to barricade them as well. After he did this, he attempted to call Charlie again, but there was no answer since all phone services had been disconnected. He tried again with the landline but still had the same issue. Brett continued on and grabbed a handgun and a shotgun he kept as a defense. He then put up a tablet screen of the security cameras he had on the outside perimeter of his house. But when he looked, he could make out, what seemed to be, a few figures that resembled people, but the way they walked was unlively, and the way they looked, blood all over their faces, ripped clothes, and those sick, menacing, bloodshot eyes that spoke of pure danger. Brett couldn’t believe his own. These were the people that died from the medicine, the people that the rest of the world lost, the ones they thought they would never see again. And here they were, dead, but alive, away from whom they used to be, just roaming the streets, looking for flesh. Brett did not hear gunfire or military action on the outside. But, all of a sudden, he could hear the screams of his neighbor. Brett quickly ripped down a plank of wood and looked out his window. He saw the zombie-like creatures ripping his neighbor apart, as he screamed in pain. Brett's first reaction was to jump out and help him, so he began ripping down the rest of the barricade on his window. But he paused. He knew he couldn’t risk allowing a possible entrance for those creatures into his home, and put Jett’s life in danger. Brett could only watch as his poor neighbor was eaten by those dead people, while he screamed in pain and agony. Brett turned away. “Jett, pack as much as you can, we can’t stay here.” “Dad, please tell me what is going on.” “Jett, something is happening that you would never understand if I explained.” “I could try.” Jett replied. Brett looked at his son. “Please, Dad.” “Okay.” Brett said. “The people that we thought were killed from that medicine are alive, but they aren’t themselves. They are dangerous, and they want to hurt us. Something brought them back to life, but not to their old human life. It makes them sick in the head. So we need to stay away from them. That’s all I can explain to you.” Jett’s response was unnatural. “Okay.” He said. Brett pulled out his handgun. “Here, Jett, take this and hold on to it, just in case.” Jett took the gun. “Dad, where are we going to go?” “I don’t know, right now, we just can’t be here.” Brett replied. Then, Brett heard his communication radio ring. “This is officer Charlie Brax, does anybody read me? Over.” Brett ran over to the radio. “Charlie, it’s me, where are you?” Charlie was talking through static. “I’m at th- stati-, I’m being surroun- by the...” “Charlie, come again, your cutting out.” There was only static and more static. “Charlie? Charlie!” Brett yelled. Then, the signal was lost. “Dammit!” Brett yelled. “Dad.” Jett said from behind. Brett turned to his son. “They’re coming.”

“Jett, this way, out the back door!” Brett began ripping off the wood he used to barricade the door. He could hear the moaning of the zombies as they scratched on the outside walls and windows. There were so many of them, far too many to count. Jett grabbed his bag, as Brett ripped off the last piece of wood. Brett pulled out his shotgun, as Jett pulled out his handgun. “Be ready to shoot these things if you must.” Brett demanded. Jett nodded. Jett had never shot anything, besides a target, in his life. Brett opened the door and they moved into their backyard, both holding their guns’ in a fire position. The fence was blocking the zombies from entering the backyard. “The only way out is through the gate, but it sounds like it’s blocked by them.” Jett said. “You’re right, we are going to have to clear it by shooting our way through. Then we will make a run for the car.” Brett had to come up with a plan. “Jett, I’ll need you to pull the gate open, and I’ll start shooting. Then you will get behind me and you will shoot as many as you can. You stay as close to me as you can, do you understand?” “Yes, but are we going to have enough ammo for this, Dad?” “Let’s hope so.” Brett replied. “Ready?” “Ready.” Jett grabbed the handle and pulled the gate open. Brett opened fire on the crowd. He shot each one right through the head, to end their lives for the second time. Jett, right behind him, shooting them the same way. It was the scariest moment of both of their lives. They fought and fought, and even after their path was clear, Brett continued firing at the ones on his street. He felt that he needed to avenge his neighbor for what they did to him. “Dad, come on, now!” Brett turned around, and they both ran to their car. They threw their weapons inside, Brett started the engine, and they sped off. Both of them were a bloody mess from shooting the zombies. “Dad, where are we going?” “We’re going to the police station, Charlie is trapped in there.” “I don’t think we have much ammo left, Dad.” There is an emergency hatchet in the back of the car. Give it to me.” Jett gave him the hatchet. “They seem to die faster if you get them in the head.” Jett said. “Then, always aim for the head.” Brett replied. He hated saying those kinds of words to his son, but he didn’t know how else to say it. Brett drove fast while going around the zombies that roamed the streets. Another car went by, being driven by a woman, maybe in her thirties. Brett ignored the worried glance she gave him and continued to drive. They drove down the side-lane of the freeway, full of empty cars, with a view of downtown Orlando. They could see multiple army helicopters hovering over the city, opening fire on the ground. “How many bullets do you have in your handgun, Jett?” Jett checked the magazine. “Only six.” He answered. “Take the shotgun, it has more.” “I’m not really familiar with that thing, but I’ll do my best.” “It’s the same thing, it just has a bit of a kick, so hold it steady.” Brett said. They arrived at the station. The place was surrounded by the zombies. “Charlie is in there, we’ve got to get him out.” Brett said. “All right, Jett, I need you to use what’s left in your pistol and shoot them in the head. When you run out of ammo, switch to the shotgun and do the same. You can stay in the car and shoot from the window. I will go and bash them in the head with the hatchet. We need to do this quickly before too many of them come for us. What’s left of them we will draw away from the station using the car and hopefully, Charlie can get out.” “Okay, will do, Dad.” “On go.” Brett said. “Three.” Jett aimed his gun. “Two.” Brett gripped the hatchet. “One.” They were ready. “Go!” Jett took his first shot and had a direct hit. The rest turned around and began to make their way toward Jett and Brett. Jett fired, again and again, hitting every shot. Brett raised that hatchet and planted it into the heads of the zombies. Fire, plant, repeat. Jett used the shotgun to hit them two at a time, while Brett swung the hatchet back and forth splitting their heads, and drawing blood all over himself. Fire, plant, repeat. This went on for five minutes until Jett said: “I’m out of ammo!” Brett kept going, though, faster and stronger for every hit, kicking back the ones that got too close, and punching them as hard as he could. Just as Brett and his son were almost overrun, a machine gun opened fire on the crowd of zombies, bringing them all to the floor, one after the other. Brett got to the ground and covered his head as Jett took cover inside the car. When it stopped, Brett got up and saw Charlie holding a heavy machine gun. “Brett? Is that you?” Brett was sweating and breathing heavily. “Charlie, are you all right?” “I’m fine, what the hell were you doing, Brett?” “Trying to save your ass.” Brett responded. Brett’s hands were on his knees as he spoke. “Thank you, I’m glad you came for me.” Charlie responded. “Charlie, what are you doing here?” Brett asked in a low voice. “I came here to grab weapons. Before I even knew what these things did, or even looked like, they had already gotten to me. They were banging on the door and walls, making these horrible sounds. I thought about shooting my way out, but there was just too many of them. So that’s when I rang out.” Brett looked at Charlie and nodded. “Where’s Jett?” Charlie asked. “I’m over here.” Jett answered, walking out of the car, shotgun still in hand. Charlie looked over to face him. “You all right, buddy?” Charlie asked. “I am.” Jett replied. “It’s your first time using that shotgun, huh?” “Yeah, it is.” Brett answered for Jett. “But for his first time, he did a damn pretty good job.” “Well, Jett, you might have to plan on using that thing more than just here.” Charlie said. “I’ll do what I have to do to make sure everything is all right.” Jett said. Charlie smiled and Brett nodded. “All right.” Charlie said. “What’s the plan?”

Charlie guarded the front door to the station, while Brett and Jett went to grab as many weapons as possible. After they had split up, Jett went into the dark room that had the target papers. He slowly walked and looked at all of the targets that were there and came upon his own target paper that had many holes right in the center. His name would forever be signed on it to honor his great shooting. Jett smiled. “You are a fine shot, Jett.” Brett said walking in. “Thanks, Dad. You are, too. After we take care of this mess, I hope to become an officer, someday, just like you.” Brett smiled and put a hand on his son's shoulder. “We will get through this, I don’t know how long it will take, but we will find a way to thrive. We will do whatever it takes.” “I know we will, Dad.” Brett patted his son on the back. “Come on, I got all we need to last us a while.” Brett said walking out. “Dad?” Jett said quietly. “Are we ever going to go home?” Brett stopped, looked back at his son and then looked at the ground. That was a question that he didn’t have the answer to. “I don’t know, Jett. We just… can’t right now.” Jett nodded. They walked out to the front entrance and saw Charlie a bloody mess. Brett and Jett looked at him with concerned faces. “Yeah a few of them came over, but I took care of them.” Charlie remarked. At least a dozen more of the zombies lay in front of them as Charlie held a bloody hatchet in his hand. “We need to start looking for other people, anyone who still has a mind.” Charlie said. “We haven’t seen very many people around, just a lady in a car.” Jett replied. “Come on, let’s get in the car and start searching for others who might still be out there.” Brett said. The group loaded the weapons and their things into the car, and they were off. “There is some military action going on in the city, a couple of tanks and helicopters.” Charlie said. “I know, we saw some helicopters hovering over downtown Orlando, on the way over here.” Brett replied. “Maybe we should head down there, maybe they can help us.” Jett said. “Maybe.” Brett replied. “But maybe we can help them, given our supply of weapons.” “You really think they will let two police officers and a child help them?” Charlie asked. “At this point, I don’t think they have much of a choice.” Brett answered. “They will need all of the help they can get.” Brett drove back down the deserted streets and drove toward downtown. As they were making their way down the side-lane on the abandoned car-crowded freeway, a few zombies had been walking around empty-minded and looking for human flesh. “Do you think any of these people got out?” Charlie asked. “I hope so.” Brett said. “Dad, stop!” Brett slammed the breaks. “What? What is it?” Brett asked. “Look.” Jett pointed to the other side of the freeway, where a lady was sitting against her car. She hugged her knees, and had her head down, crying, and also held a bloody knife in her hand. “That’s the same lady we saw before.” Jett said. “Yeah, I know it is.” Brett said as he parked the car and opened his door. Everyone got out of the car, each holding their weapons, as Brett walked over to the lady while Charlie and Jett stayed and guarded. “Miss?” Brett asked. “Miss, are you okay?” She didn’t respond, just kept crying. “My name is Brett Brax, I’m a police officer. I know we drove past you before, and, I’m sorry I didn’t stop for you, I just... I had to get to my brother.” Once again no response. Brett kneeled down next to her. “Can you tell me your name?” The lady took a deep breath. “It’s Avery.” She said, head still down. Brett nodded. “Okay, Avery. We are on our way to downtown Orlando, to get help. Come with us, we have food and weapons.” “No.” She said harshly. “I need to find my daughter.” Brett looked back at Charlie and Charlie nodded. “Then, we will help you look for her. How old is she?” “She’s only ten, she can’t be out here, alone.” “Where was she last?” Brett asked. “It was yesterday. I simply left her home alone for a bit, while I was out running errands.” “So, what happened?” Brett asked. Avery looked up at Brett, revealing her face for the first time. “If I had known that I wouldn’t have been able to get home for twelve hours, I would never have left.” She responded. Brett looked down. “The military was loading people who weren’t infected into trucks.” Avery paused. Her eyes filled with tears. “They executed people who were infected, right in front of everyone. People who seemed perfectly coherent. People who wanted to live. People who wanted to protect their families. And, like their lives were nothing, they were all shot in the head.” Brett covered his eyes, feeling the sorrow that invaded the earth. “I avoided being seen, so they wouldn’t try to take me.” I hid in a house nearby and waited until they cleared out. After some time had passed, I began hearing gurgling sounds from inside the house. I clutched a knife I found in my hand, and slowly went to where the sound was coming from. What I saw horrified me. A man was lying on his bed, blood flowed from his mouth all onto his clothes. His eyes were bloodshot red, and his face was discolored. He was dying. In his hand, he was holding a framed photo of his family. I desperately wanted to save him. But I knew I couldn’t.” Avery stopped. Brett looked at her knife. “I did what I had to do.” “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Avery.” Brett said quietly. Avery took a deep breath. “I finally drove down to my house this morning to find my daughter, which is when you and I crossed paths, and when I got there, the back door was open, and the house was empty.” “She couldn’t have gone far, maybe she’s close by.” Brett concluded. “I’ve looked everywhere in this area, and was going to go further until my car ran out of gas.” Avery said. “Do you have any friends or relatives that are around?” Brett asked. “The only person I have is my daughter, and now she’s gone.” “Don’t say that, she still could be around. Come on, we can help you look for her.” “Brett, we have to go, now!” Charlie yelled from behind. Brett turned around and saw many zombies closing in from either side. Brett grabbed Avery’s hand and they ran for the car, as Charlie and Jett shot at the zombies. They all gathered into the car, drove past downtown, and went back to the neighborhood. Nightfall had begun to set.

“We have to split up.” Avery said. “It’s the only way to find her faster.” “It’s too dark to split up right now.” Charlie responded. “We will have to wait till morning before we can do that.” “No!” Avery shouted. “She can’t be alone for another night, she just can’t.” “We’ll figure something out, Avery.” Brett said in a calming voice. “Does your daughter know how to defend herself, at all?” “I’ve only shown her how to get away from strangers, not how to get away from ravenous human eaters.” Avery shuttered at her own words. “Where do you think she could possibly go?” Charlie asked. “A friends house? A school, maybe?” “There is a park nearby, but it’s a long walk from my house, I don’t think she would be there.” “It can’t hurt to check, so that’s where we’re going.” Brett replied. They made their way to the park, Avery being desperate. “Okay, everyone, grab a flashlight and stay alert. All of our guns’ have silencers to avoid attracting attention from these things, so always keep your gun ready to shoot, if any get too close.” Brett said. “Avery, do you know how to shoot?” “Yeah, give me a gun.” She said impatiently. Brett handed her a pistol. “All right, since we don’t have a choice anymore, we will have to split up here.” Brett said. “Charlie, you take Jett, and I’ll go with Avery. If anyone needs help, you shout as loud as you can, and we will come to you. Everyone got it?” The rest of the group nodded, and they went off. The park had been pretty large for its size, including a playground, basketball courts, a field, and the whole place was surrounded by trees. “What does she look like?” Brett asked Avery. Avery smiled shortly. “She has blonde hair, like me, a light skin tone, and she is about five foot five in height.” “What’s her name?” Brett asked. “Elizabeth. But I call her Lizzy.” Brett nodded. As they were searching, crackling sounds came from behind them. They both turned around, with their flashlights in hand, and saw five zombies heading for them. Brett took aim, but there Avery was, shooting them all head, hitting every shot she took, dropping them all to the ground. Brett was stunned, as Avery walked passed Brett and turned around to face him. “What? Did you not believe me?” Avery asked. Just then, they heard Charlie yell Brett’s name from far across the field, with a slight echo. Brett and Avery took off running to Charlie and Jett’s direction. When they got there, Charlie pointed upwards. “I think there’s someone up in the tree, possibly a child. I tried to talk to whoever it is, but they’re not responding.” “Lizzy?” Avery said. “Are you up there?” “Mom?” Avery broke down into tears of joy. “Lizzy, oh, thank God, I’m here, come down!” “I can’t, Mom, I’m scared.” Lizzy responded in fear. “Brett, can you please get her down?” Avery asked frantically. “Okay.” Brett said. He began climbing the tree, but as he stepped on the branches, they broke, causing him to fall back down. “I’m too heavy to climb the branches.” Brett concluded. “Lizzy, you have to climb back down yourself.” Avery said. “No, please, I can’t. I don’t want to run anymore.” Lizzy said in tears. “Lizzy, you have to do this for Mommy, please, I know you can do it. You’ll be safe with me...” She paused. “With us.” “Mom, I can’t.” “Hey, Lizzy?” Jett suddenly said in a calm voice. Lizzy looked into Jett’s eyes. “You can do this. I know that you are brave, and I promise you that everything will be okay.” Lizzy then stopped crying. “All you have to do is climb down the same way you went up. If you’re scared, think about balloons. That always helps me when I’m scared.” Brett nodded at his son. Lizzy then began climbing down. All she did was think about balloons, just as Jett said, which did, in fact, help her calm down. Just as she was made towards the bottom, the branch she was on snapped. Lizzy let out a quick scream as she fell safely into Brett’s arms. “Are you okay?” Brett asked. “Yeah.” Lizzy said with a smile. Avery ran to Lizzy with open arms, hugging her tightly in tears, as Lizzy did the same. “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry, Lizzy, I will never let you out of my sight again, I promise you. Oh my, God, I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry for leaving the house, Mom, I was just scared.” “No, Lizzy, you did the right thing. You are such a strong and brave girl, and I’m proud of you. They hugged for a few more moments. Lizzy then ran to Jett and hugged him tightly. “Thank you for helping me face my fears. Now, I will always think about balloons when I’m scared.” Jett hugged her back. “You’re welcome, Lizzy.” Brett, Charlie, and Avery smiled. “My name is Jett, by the way.” “Nice to meet you, Jett. You already know who I am.” After that, the group began walking away from the park. It had been time to start a new life, in a new world.

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